Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his poem “I Dedicate This Ride”
Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his poem “I Dedicate This Ride.”
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I Dedicate This Ride
Isaac Murphy When I come barreling down the stretch, I always think about my daddy, a runaway slave turned soldier. At the start of every race, I pretend he’s in the crowd, standing at attention, watching me ride for the first time, his brass belt buckle gleaming like his proud mouth. I tell myself, I […]
Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his series on Medgar Evers
Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his series of poems on Medgar Evers and introduces his poem “After Birth.”
After Birth
”Killing that nigger gave me no more inner discomfort than our wives endure when they give birth to our children.” -Byron de la Beckwith Like them, a man can conceive an idea, an event, a moment so clearly he can name it–even before it breathes. We both can carry a thing around inside for only […]
Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his poem “Homecoming”
Frank X Walker introduces his poem “Homecoming.”
Homecoming
“Pastoral scene of the gallant south…” -Billie Holiday (Strange Fruit) Byron de la Beckwith Sometimes it starts with a bonfire or begins with taunting and spitting quickly graduating to cursing and punching and kicking some body as hard as you can for the sheer joy of causing them pain as entertainment for the crowd now […]
Frank X Walker Q&A introduces his poem “Fire Proof”
Frank X Walker introduces his poem “Fire Proof.”
Fire Proof
Thelma de la Beckwith He would come home from evening rallies and secret meetings so in love with me I could never see nothing wrong with what he did with his hands. I just pretended I didn’t know what gunpowder smelled like or why he kept his guns so clean. If he walked through that […]